‘Such a sharp question.’
Li Xingya didn’t know how to answer for a moment.
After all, she didn’t know the reason for “Li Xingya’s” expulsion.
Fortunately, Jiang Chiyue had accompanied Li Xingya today.
Jiang Chiyue leaned back in her chair, relaxed.
“Principal Lu, I already explicitly reminded you yesterday not to ask about this.”
“Sorry, just consider me genuinely curious.”
Lu Wanting smiled.
“Before you two arrived, I already called Li Xingya’s previous school, but the answer was ‘no comment.’ Miss Jiang, it seems you warned them in advance.”
“Surprised you?” Jiang Chiyue raised an eyebrow.
“No, it only makes me more curious about the truth.”
Lu Wanting shifted her gaze to Li Xingya sitting beside her.
Facing this intrusive gaze, Li Xingya just smiled at Lu Wanting—she planned to leave everything to Jiang Chiyue.
Facing Li Xingya’s smile, Lu Wanting was lost for a moment.
‘She smiles quite beautifully.’
‘This girl has good potential to become an idol.’
As the principal of Starview Academy, Lu Wanting knew too well who was suitable to be an idol and who wasn’t.
Just now.
With just one smile, Lu Wanting could be certain that as long as Li Xingya graduated from Starview Academy and debuted smoothly, she would definitely elevate Starview Academy’s fame.
Even if this smile was just Li Xingya’s fake smile.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next question.”
Lu Wanting conceded.
She was willing to treat Li Xingya as a special case.
“Li Xingya, have you ever systematically studied singing or dancing before?”
“No.”
Li Xingya shook her head.
‘Singing? Li Xingya felt she was probably tone-deaf.’
‘Dancing? That was all four limbs having minds of their own.’
Making a workaholic nuclear-powered donkey learn this kind of thing—Li Xingya thought it would be better to just sit at her desk for half an hour longer.
“What about acting?”
“Acting, huh.”
Li Xingya thought about it.
“Maybe acting is okay?”
‘Because I’m always acting anyway.’
‘I have to fake smile from time to time.’
‘Maybe I really do have some talent for acting?’
Hearing Li Xingya’s confidence in acting, Lu Wanting became interested.
“Could you please perform a piece now? Consider it an entrance exam. Please understand, your academic scores are a bit poor, so I have to add points from elsewhere.”
“And after you debut, acting will also become part of the job,” Lu Wanting added.
Li Xingya nodded, saying nothing.
‘”Li Xingya” = a delinquent girl.’
Now, that was Li Xingya’s entire impression of “Li Xingya.”
As for this matter of acting, Jiang Chiyue, sitting nearby, had a somewhat strange expression.
She knew Li Xingya was really good at acting.
Li Xingya could become like “Sister Li Xingya.”
Or she could pretend to not know herself at all—the confusion in those eyes didn’t look fake no matter how you looked at it.
She could also act like the most energetic high school student in a teen drama… even though just a second ago, she was in the car with desperation as if facing the end of the world.
Li Xingya was very good at acting.
Wasn’t this exactly the reason Jiang Chiyue thought of making her an idol?
Now, Jiang Chiyue was also curious: what other different look could Li Xingya perform?
So?
What should she act?
Li Xingya slowly stood up.
‘Or… how about a crying scene?’
If she wanted to cry, it was quite simple—she had enough sad, painful memories from her previous life, and this body’s tear ducts were sufficiently developed. Not crying would be a waste of these advantages.
Li Xingya thought.
Her slender fingers grabbed Jiang Chiyue’s sleeve.
“Don’t go…”
“Huh?”
Jiang Chiyue clearly didn’t notice Li Xingya’s sudden shift.
Li Xingya’s shoulders began to tremble slightly, her back held straight.
She bit her lower lip, not making any loud breathing sounds, only accompanied by increasingly rapid breaths.
Endurance and restraint—these were the things Li Xingya was best at.
She clutched Jiang Chiyue’s sleeve tightly, not daring to look up, only opening her mouth to repeat:
“Please don’t go… I’m begging you.”
“I’ll change.”
“I’ll become the person you like.”
“Everything before was my fault.”
“Please…”
“Don’t leave me…”
“You’re the only one who can stay by my side!”
Li Xingya suddenly let go, her right hand tightly gripping her left arm. Untrimmed nails scraped across fair skin, leaving striking red marks, like a child on the verge of collapse trying to keep themselves from completely shattering.
“Li… Li Xingya?”
Jiang Chiyue panicked.
Even though she knew in her heart it was an act.
But Jiang Chiyue still panicked.
“Why?”
“Why do you have to leave me?”
Tears gushed out like a bursting dam.
At this moment, what was Li Xingya really thinking?
She was thinking dinner would probably still be fast food sandwiches—how sad.
“Do we have to break up?”
‘Do I have to eat sandwiches for dinner?’
“Please don’t leave me, okay?”
‘Can I not eat sandwiches, okay?’
“Without you… I’ll die!”
‘If I eat sandwiches again, I’ll definitely die.’
Li Xingya took a step back, as if making a show of fleeing the office.
Jiang Chiyue instinctively stood up, but Li Xingya laughed with tears at the corners of her eyes.
She didn’t even bother to wipe away such cheap tears.
“Hey, sis, how was my acting just now?”
‘It’s all fake, you know.’
‘Even if I only have sandwiches, it’s okay.’
‘Of course.’
‘Even if I leave you, I won’t be sad enough to die, you know.’
Li Xingya wiped the tears from her face, turned to Lu Wanting, and bowed a standard 90-degree bow. Her voice was gentle and cheerful.
“Principal Lu, there’s no problem with my acting, right?”
‘Since acting is part of the job, I’ll take it seriously.’
“Principal Lu?”
“Li Xingya, congratulations, you are admitted.”
In the empty principal’s office, light but rhythmic applause sounded.
It was Lu Wanting applauding Li Xingya’s performance.
“Starview Academy has a system of continuous middle and high school. Li Xingya, although you entered later than others, I can be sure that your future achievements will surpass the vast majority.”
‘So similar.’
‘This talent for acting…’
‘Too similar to Lin Jin’an.’
“Normally speaking, with your height and scores, entering Starview Academy would be very difficult. But I have to admit, your acting has indeed conquered me. And—even that person wrote a letter of recommendation. So I am willing to let you be a special case at Starview Academy.”
Li Xingya straightened up, and no trace of crying could be seen on her face.
‘That person?’
‘Who is that person?’
‘Sounds impressive.’
“Miss Jiang has arranged for you to be a day student. Tomorrow, you can officially attend classes as a first-year high school student. I’ll arrange for someone to look after you.”
“Thank you, Principal Lu.”
Li Xingya smiled.
“Then I’ll head back with Sister.”
Li Xingya looked at Jiang Chiyue sitting in the chair.
“Sister, shall we go?”
“Ah… yeah, okay.”
Jiang Chiyue snapped back to reality.
She nodded, dazed.